Coupling-operating mechanism



Dec. 26, 1922.

E. GEORGE. JR. y CouPLlNs OPERATING MEcHANlsM.

2 sr-EFTs-SHEET l Flu-:D MAY 3, 1921 Des. 26y 1922.

E. GEORGE, JR CouPLlNc OPERATINGMECHANISM,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 FuE-D MAY 3. 1921 3 mmmtoz w e m Patented Dec. 2 6, 1922.

uNiTi-:D STATES PATENT OFFICE'.

lIENOCH GEORGE, JR., OF PIT'lSlURGrH,v PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCCONWAY & TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- t sYLvAivIA.v

\ y COUPLING-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application led May 3, 1921. Serial N0. 466,455.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ENocH GEORGE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented .certain new and useful Improvements in Coupling-Operating Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to coupler operating mechanism which is especially designed to provide simple and efficient means for actuating the locking device of a laterally swinging car coupler of the Master Car Builders standard D type. In adapting couplers of this type to use upon passenger cars much ditliculty has been encountered in seeking to provide a device for -efficiently centering the coupler which could be em-v ployed with a vsimple form of mechanism for actuating the coupler lock to cause it to perform its unlocking and knucklefopening movements.

The principal feature of my invention,

generally stated, consists in constructing a coupler carry iron with a recess extending transversely of the car in Which are disposed spring means that are energized upon a lateral displacement of the car coupler in either direction from its central position, and in combining therewith coupler lock acl tuating mechanism which includes a bracket rigidly secured to the coupler in advance of the carry-iron and having a rearwardly extending portion -Which is` adapted to pass beneath the carry-iron :and upon which is journaled a lrotatable lever that is operatively connected'tokthe` coupler lock."

.There are otherfxfeatures ofthe f inven-A tion relating .to-specialcombinations of parts andi details of constructionall'as`V will here# embodiment'. ofhthegvfinvention,v the 'scope'y whereof vis v.point/edi' :outf -inz theclaims,

Sides of the car being broken away.

In kthe `drawings*illustratingthe lpreferred Figure 2 is a sectional View on the line 2 2, Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, portions of the carry-iron, the coupler saddle and' the yielding means for centraliz` ing the coupler being in section.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4 4, Fig. 2. o

In the drawings, l indicates a car coupler of the Master Car Builders standard D type which isadapted to be mounted upon a railway car so as to swing laterally with respect thereto. of the coupler to the lcar may be conveniently effected by providing the rear end of the shank of the coupler with a pivot pin opening 2 which is adapted to receive atail pin (not shown) by which the coupler may be pivotally connected to the draft rigging in a well .known manner. The knuckle 3 of the coupler is normally restrained from out-ward rotation by the coupler lock 4 which isl of the familiar form employed in couplers of the type mentioned.

Mounted Aupon the car, as by being secured to the center sills 5 thereof, is 'a carry-iron 6 which is formed with a transversely extending upwardly opening recess or pocket 7 adapted toI receive spring means for yieldingly maintaining the coupler in normal position in the longitudinal axis of the car. i

The means employed for centralizing the ycoupler l preferably comprise a plurality of relatively movable spring boxes 8 which are located within the recess of the carryiron and'between which are operatively interposed a pair of springs 9 arranged in horizontal alinementl 'in so-called .twin relation. is'closed'tolform a bearing vfor the springs 9 and normally abutsagainsta stop or abut# ment face l0` atl the corresponding end ofl the carry-iron: Adjacent its fopenend each f spring` boxxis formedfwith oppositely fexl tending-flugs or flanges glllwhich projectn from,A theneighboring vertical sidesoffsaidfA boxes and arev respectively'adapted `to b'ejjrl overlappingly engaged by corresponding in-*f wardly. projecting u"lugs" l2 formed1 on"4 the j coupler-'saddle 131' The flanges 1^1-"`of"tl'1'ef.i spring vrboxes 5. are vembraltzed by-the.- 'Y spaced 3105 lugs 12 of the coupler saddle so that as' The pivotal connection The outerend of each spring box` returned to a central position.

the saddle slides upon the carry-iron in response to swinging movements of the coupler one or the other of the spring boxes is actuated to cause it to approach the companion spring box, thereby compressing the springs 9. WVhen the springs expand they force apart the spring boxes 8, restoring them to their normal positions and consequently causing the coupler saddle 13 to be If desired the springs 9 may be protected from injury due to over compression by the use of ferrules or stop bars 14 one or' which is placed inside of each spring. By the engagement of the errules 14 with the closed ends of the spring boxes 8 the extent of compression ofthe springs 9 is limited.

Slidably mounted upon the carry-iron 6 is a coupler saddle 13 upon which the coupler 1 is seated and between the upwardly extending arms 15 of which the shank of the coupler is adapted to slide back and forth in the operations of draft and buiing. The inner faces of the arms 15' are preferably rounded so as to permit the coupler to change its angular position to the saddle 13 during the lateral movements of the c oupler. This enables the coupler to press centrally on the coupler saddle in shifting the latter, thereby preventing any substantial binding of the said saddle upon the carryiron. The portion 16 of the saddle which is immediately beneath the shank or' the coupler rests on the upper edges of the vertical walls of the carry-iron 6 and by extending over the spring boxes 8 constitutes means for maintaining the latter' in assembled position within the recess of the carry-iron. Projecting downwardly from the bearing plate 16 of the coupler saddle are webs or flanges 17 which enter the recess 7 of the carry-iron and 'by engaging the transversely extending vertical walls thereof operate as guides for the coupler saddle. The lugs 17 by which the spring boxes 8 are actuated project inwardly fronl the opposite ends of the guiding members or flanges 17 of the saddle. f

The compact association of the coupler centering means with the carry-iron enables the force by which the coupler is centralized to be applied to the coupler well forward toward the coupler head and also enables` the coupler lock 4 to be actuated by uncoupling mechanism involving a rotatable lock lifting lever 18 `which while capable of passing below the carry-iron has'its pivotal point high enough and sufficiently removed from thev lock to permit easy and eflicient operation of the latter. The lever 18 is supported independently of the carry-iron 6 upon a bracket 19 which is rigidly secured to the coupler 1in advance of the carry-iron and Which is provided with a rearwardly extending portion adapted to pass .beneath the carry-iron, the said rearwardly extending portion preferably being bifurcated to provide a pair of spaced arms 20 each ot' which is formed with an upwardly opening segmental journal bearing 21. The pivotal support of the lever 18 upon the bracket 19 is preferably effected by integrally providing the said lever with oppositely disposed trunnions or pivot lugs 22 which cooperate with the respective journal ,bearings 2l of the bracket carried by the coupler, the said trunnions being advantageously made ot' semicircular or curved segmental form as such a construction allows the radius of the trunnions to be enlarged to provide ample strength and at the same time preserves the relatively high location of the pivotal axis of the lever 18. The lever 18 is preferably actuated by rotatable uncoupling rods 23 which extend toward the sides or' the car and are, as usual, there provided with suitable operating handlestnot shown). Each uncoupling rod is formed at its inner end with a lever arm or linger 24 which ex tends into a pocket or recess 25 with which the lever 18 is provided. This mode or' combining the rotatable uncoupling rods 23 with a pivoted lock actuating lever is well known. The end of the lock lifting lever opposite the uncoupling rods 23 is pivotally secured, as by means of a pivot pin 26, to a lock lifter 27 which is operatively connected to the coupler lock 4 in the well known manner.

By reason of the elongated character of the recess 25 with which the lever 18 is provided at its rear end, either ot' the uncoupling rods 23 may be independently rotated to effect an upward swinging movement of the said lever 18 and a consequent unlocking movement of the coupler lock 4.

I claim 1. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a carry-iron which is adapted to be mounted upon a railway car and which is formed with a recess extending transversely of the car and adapted to receive spring means for yieldingly maintaining a laterally swinging coupler in normal position, yof a laterally swinging coupler, spring means extending transversely of the car within said recess, means for energizing said spring means upon a lateral displacement of the coupler in either direction from normal position, and mechanism supported by said coupler independent of said carry-iron for actuating the lock of the car coupler, said mechanism including a bracket rigidly secured to said coupler in advance of said carry-iron'and having a portion extending rearwardly toward. Said carry-iron and adapted to pass beneath the latter, said rearwardly extending portion being provided with segmental journal bearings, a member formed with segmental trunnions respectively seated in said Ajournal bearings and operatively connected to the lock of the coupler,` and means for causing an interlocking rotation of said last named member. y

2. In mechanism ofiy the character indicated, the combination with a carry-iron which is adapted to 'be mounted upon a railway car and which is formed with a recess extending transversely of the car and adapted to receive spring means for yieldingly maintaining., a laterally swinging car coupler in normal position, of spring means extending transversely of the car within said recess, means for energizing said spring means upon a lateral displacement of the coupler in either direction from normal position, and mechanism for actuating the lock of the car coupler, said mechanism including a bracket rigidly secured to said coupler in advance of said carry-iron and having a portion extending rearwardly toward said carry-iron and adapted to pass beneath the latter, a lock lifter movably connected `to the coupler lock, and a rotatable lever journaled on said bracket and pivotally connected to said lock lifter. 3. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a carry-iron which is adapted to be mounted upon a railway car, of spring means mounted upon said carry-iron and extending transversely oi the car and adapted yieldingly to maintain a laterally swinging car coupler in normal position, means for energizing said spring means upon a lateral displacement of the coupler in either direction from normal position, and mechanism .for actuating the lock of said car coupler, said mechanism including a bracket rigidly se-I cured to said coupler in advance of said carry-iron and having a portion which extends rearwardly toward said 'carry-iron and is adaptedlto pass beneath the latter andthe said spring means mounted thereon, a lock lifter movably connected to the coupler lock, and a rotatablelever journaled on the rearwardly extending portion of said bracket and pivotally connected to said lock lifter.

fi. In mechanism of the character indicated, .the combination with a carry-iron which is adapted to be mounted upon a railway. car, of a laterally swinging coupler supported by said carry-iron, yielding means for normally maintaining said coupler in central position, and mechanism for actuating the lock of said car coupler, said medhanism including a bracket rigidly connected to said coupler in advance of said carry-iron and adapted to pass beneath the latter, a lever journaled on said bracket, means operatively connecting said lever to the lock of said coupler, and means for actuating said lever, said bracket being provided versely of the car within said recess, means for energizing said spring means upon a lateral displacement of the coupler in either direction from normal position, and mechanism for actuating the lock of the car coupler, vsaid mechanism including a bracket rigidly secured to said coupler in advance of said carry-iron and having a rearwardly extending portion adapted to pass beneath said carry-iron, a'lock lifter operatively connected to the coupler lock, and a rotatable lever journaled on the rearwardly extending portion of said bracket and operatively connected to said lock lifter.

6. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a carry-iron which is adapted to be mounted upon a railway car and is provided with an upwardly opening recess adapted to receive spring means for yieldingly maintaining a laterally swinging car coupler inv normal position, of spring means extending transversely of the car within said recess, said means involving a plurality of horizontally aligned springs arranged in twin relation, a coupler saddle interposed between said carry-iron and the shank of the coupler and slidably mounted upon said carry-iron, said saddle being adapted to retain said springs in said recess, and said springs being adapted to be energized upon a movement of said saddle in either direction from normal position, and mechanism for actuating the lock of the car coupler, said mechanism including a bracket movable with said coupler and having a rearwardly extending portion adapted to pass beneath said carry-iron, aA lever movablymounted upon the rearwardly extending portion of said bracket, a lock lifter opermoves transversely of the car in either direction from normal position, a laterally swinging car coupler supported upon and adapted to move said Coupler saddle, and mechanism for actuating the lock of said coupler, said mechanism including a bracket which is movable with said coupler and is adapted to pass beneath said carry-iron.

8. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a. carry-iron which is adapted to be mounted upon a railway car and is provided with a recess extending transversely of said car, ot' a plurality of spring boxes within said recess, a plurality of springs interposed between said spring boxes, said springs being ar-A ranged in horizontal alinement in twin relation, a laterally swinging car coupler, and a coupler saddle interposed between said carry-iron' and said coupler and slidably supported by said larry-iron, each of said spring boxes being provided with oppositely extending flanges and said carry-iron being provided with spaced portions which extend into said recess and engage said flanges,

9. In mechanism ot the character indicated, the combination with a carry-iron which is adapted to be mounted upon a railway lar and is provided with a recess extendingrr transversely of said car, ot' a cou` pler saddle slidably mounted on said carryiron, a plurality of springs within said recess arranged in horizontal alinement in twin relation, and means movable by said coupler saddle for causing compression of said springs when said saddle is .displaced in either direction from normal position.

In testimony whereof I alix my signature.

ENooH GEORGE, JR. 

